My Wish for You
by Iris Kane
Summary: Picking up after the series finale; this story takes place sometime between 2015 and 2020 when Rachel agrees to be Kurt and Blaine surrogate, this is what I think might have happened. (Some rewrites and adjustments to this story; if you're confused about the direction the story is going please reread)
1. Prologue

**As of 6-13-15 I will be doing extensive rewrites on this story. I plan on completely reworking the pregnancy subplot because I realized it didn't make sense matching up with where I wanted it to match up with the show. So please be patient if there are some inconsistencies with the story, I know about them it will just take a matter of time to fix them all.**

**Iris Kane**

**…**

**Prologue**

It was Blaine who started the conversation.

"Kurt, I want to have a family," he gave a lopsided shrug, his trademark smile sliding into place making his eyes sparkle, "the 2.5 kids, you know normal stuff." He looked earnestly into his husband's eyes clasping Kurt's hands.

Kurt was quiet for a moment before he spoke again, his expression vaguely concerned.

"So how do you want to go about it? Adoption?"

Blaine paused for a moment apparently thinking.

"Maybe…" He trailed off. Blaine rose and crossed the room to the computer in the small home office, Kurt automatically followed and went to stand behind him as he sank down in the desk chair. "But first I think we need to do some research."

Kurt leaned down and kissed the top of his partner's head. "Good, whatever you think is best."

After almost 2 weeks of searching adoption agencies Blaine had a whole lot of nothing. Most adoption agencies turn them down flatly once they heard they were a same-sex couple. While a lot of same-sex couples could adopt it seemed Kurt and Blaine were being thwarted at every turn. It seemed no adoption agency in New York would hear them out.

"I thought it would be easier than this." Blaine grumbled as he tossed a mess of papers down on the dining room table.

"There's always international adoption," Kurt suggested, " if we want to demonstrate truly what accepting differences is all about there's no better way to show it than that."

Blaine made a face.

"You know I love you Kurt, but I was kind of hoping for a solution a little closer to home. I don't want to go to Thailand or some other country on the other side of the world just to have a kid."

Kurt shrugged.

"Well, it's just a thought."

It was another three months before Kurt and Blaine spoke again about how they would start a family. Blaine had been searching the Internet sporadically, but with no real hope. He came across the website by accident when he was running yet another Google search and he came home with a big smile on his face and a stack of papers in his briefcase unrelated to his current teaching position.

"Would have printed these off from work, but it didn't seem appropriate." He placed the pile of printouts down on the table for Kurt to see.

Kurt flipped through the papers.

"Blaine, what's this?"

"It's some information on surrogacy, I thought that might be a better option for us. The kids would be ours biologically at least."

Kurt was continuing to read through the articles a concentrated frown on his face.

"Blaine, it says the starting fee for a surrogate is about $15,000, and that's including medical expenses, we don't have that kind of money."

Blaine nodded, but he didn't say anything. Like Kurt, he was still frowning as if he were trying to find a definite way around the problem.

"Could we get someone we know to do it?" Blaine asked, "I mean, we could pay them, but it would be like a reduced fee or something."

Kurt shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe, but what woman would be crazy enough to carry a baby for 9 months that isn't even hers?"

Blaine leaned over to embrace Kurt.

"I don't know Kurt, but don't you worry, okay, we'll figure it out. I promise."

While Kurt and Blaine were deliberating over their options they took an afternoon here and there to watch Rachel's rehearsals for her upcoming Broadway play. Since going back to school and graduating NYADA Rachel had been dating Jesse, a former member of Vocal Adrenaline, and the director of what he and Rachel hoped would be a successful Broadway production, starring Rachel. Kurt was watching Rachel rehearse when the idea came to him. At first it seemed absolutely crazy, like a lot of the ideas he had over the years marrying Blaine for starters.

At first, he wasn't even sure if he should approach Blaine with the idea and figured Blaine was the safer option, to run this by him, rather than immediately going to Rachel.

"Blaine," he whispered as he continued to watch Rachel and her costars on the stage, "I have an idea…"

"What! Are you crazy Kurt? Rachel would never go for something like that, not if it's going to screw up her budding career! She's just getting ahead right now. This production of Jesse's is supposed to be a big hit!" Blaine's eyes widened if only to accentuate his expression, "BIG!"

"Forgive me if I step on Rachel's lifelong dreams." Kurt muttered sarcastically, then realizing that sounded insincere, he amended his statement. "I mean, can't we have our chance at happiness for once."

Finally Blaine sighed in resignation.

"Fine, we can ask, but don't get your hopes up."

Kurt bit his lip.

"Well, the worst she can say is "no"."

When they knocked on Rachel's dressing room door Kurt's heart was somewhere in the region of his throat. Blaine's hand was in his, but he barely felt it, he wasn't trying to show it but Kurt knew Blaine was as nervous as he was.

"Who is it?" Rachel called from behind the closed door.

"Rachel," Kurt spoke up, "it's Kurt and Blaine we were wondering if we could come in and talk to you…" He paused, "it's important."

The door opened to reveal Rachel who was dressed back in her street clothes, her hair still tossed up in a bun after taking down her hair, taking off and reapplying her makeup.

"So," Rachel beamed excitedly, "what did you guys think? Is Jesse a genius or what!"

"It's great Rachel," Blaine said sincerely, his voice softening and a warm smile stretching his handsome features. "But that's not why we're here, Kurt and I have something we want to discuss with you."

Rachel stepped aside to let her friends enter.

"Sure, come in."

Blaine did most of the talking, which Kurt preferred. As good as his repore with Rachel was, Kurt was afraid he would muddle the entire thing. By the time Blaine had finished Rachel was looking at them with a look of stunned surprise.

Finally she was able to form words, and this was unusual because Rachel Berry was hardly ever speechless.

"You want me to do what? Are-are you sure?"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It took Rachel a while to wrap her head around what Kurt and Blaine were asking. What they were asking would take almost a year of her time, and then there was the play to consider and Jesse's plans to launch it to Broadway. Rachel was the type of person that considered all her options, for better or for worse, and in later years it had been in her best interests to ask advice both from her friends and from her dads.

The first person she talked to was Jesse, after all if she got pregnant with someone else's kid he would be the most involved especially if they decide to get engaged or married. They were relaxing in the rehearsal space afterwards, most of the actors and crew had gone home at that point leaving Rachel and Jesse alone.

"I think it's a great idea." Jesse finally said, "Everyone deserves happiness, including people like Kurt and Blaine, why shouldn't they have a kid."

Rachel nodded slowly.

"But what about the play, what about going on Broadway?" She was looking at him with wide eyes and she could feel the panic rising in her as it had in high school, when the anxiety had been so overwhelming she could barely control it.

Jesse shook his head and smiled indulgently down at her.

"The play isn't going anywhere Rach, and we're not going to be ready for previews for at least another year or two, unless Kurt and Blaine are in some all fire hurry, I see no reason why you can't be their surrogate after we finished the first run."

Rachel bit her lip, "That's true." She mused," I think I still want to think about it and maybe talk to a few more people."

Jesse smiled at her again, a smile she loved.

"Take as much time as you need, I'm sure Kurt and Blaine will understand." His hands settled on her shoulder and he leaned down and kissed her forehead, then straightening and turned to leave the room, leaving Rachel alone with her thoughts.

The next person Rachel talk to were her dads. She hadn't seen her one dad, who had moved out almost two years before, in almost a year and it had been a while since they had all been together. At this point her dads had both moved on and had new partners, an adjustment Rachel, even though she was grown, was still getting used to.

She knew her dads would always make time for her whether they were together or not. First she called her dad who was still in Lima, and had put her through her senior year of high school and all her years at NYADA. She would always be grateful to him for that.

Her conversation with him started simple:

"Hey dad, can we talk? I have something I want to run by you."

Her dad was surprised, but supportive.

"Rachel, if this is something you want to do for your friends that's up to you. All I know is the best moment your dad and I had was going to the hospital and seeing and holding you for the first time… You were such a beautiful baby."

Rachel smiled, it was just like her dad to get sentimental.

"Maybe this is your friends chance to have that happiness, to have that child they've always wanted, from what you've told me about Kurt and Blaine they seem like a pretty steady couple."

"Yeah." Rachel agreed.

"I don't know much about pregnancy or babies, but my best advice is this: do what your heart tells you to, you're always good at listening to your heart Rachel, and know it will never steer you wrong."

Rachel sighed.

"Thanks dad."

Rachel knew her dads meant well, but they lacked a female's perspective, and for that she could only think of one person she wanted to talk to-Mercedes.

Rachel was grateful it was Saturday, and providing Mercedes wasn't in the studio or out with her friends Rachel knew she would take her call.

Mercedes picked up after the fourth ring and fortunately she wasn't busy.

"Hey Rachel," her old friend greeted, "how's things going in New York?"

Rachel nodded to herself.

"Good, they're going good. Jesse's direction is brilliant he thinks the show is going to do really well. How are you?"

"I'm rehearsing for my next tour, but you caught me in a good time so I can talk for a bit, my car isn't supposed to be here for another hour or so."

"Good." Rachel replied quietly. "Mercedes, I just need a woman's perspective on this, Kurt and Blaine asked me to…"

When Rachel had finally finished her story Mercedes was silent.

"Well, that certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but more power to you."

"But what should I do?" Rachel asked, "What they're asking is going to take a lot of time, and I haven't even thought about how much things are going to cost-"

"Hold up!" Mercedes interrupted her, "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? Don't you think Kurt and Blaine have thought about this?"

"The what about the play? What about the entire production, if I get pregnant that's get a hold everything up." Rachel continued, knowing she was babbling now.

"Things can be changed." Mercedes supplied, "It happens with my schedule all the time, believe me."

"I guess…" Rachel mumbled, "Jesse said pretty much the same thing, he said it would take a while until the play was ready for previews."

"Then what's your problem?" Mercedes asked.

"I don't know, I guess I'm just scared."

"And that is perfectly normal and okay." Mercedes replied, "Don't you think Kurt and Blaine are just as scared as you are, even as their jumping into this head first. Now I don't know the first thing about raising a baby, but I figure it's a wonderful experience, and just think you'll be giving that experience to Kurt and Blaine."

"So you think I should do it?"

"I think you should do whatever your heart tells you to do." Mercedes replied.

"Yeah, my dads pretty much said the same thing. They also said if I could give Kurt and Blaine what they experienced with me it would probably be the greatest gift in the world, and I realize I really want to give them that."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Mercedes asked.

"My sanity to kick in I guess." Rachel responded.

The two women, separated by hundreds and thousands of miles, laughed.

It was almost another week before Rachel found herself on the stoop of Kurt and Blaine's apartment. She had already knocked on the door before she thought about walking back down to the sidewalk, healing a cab, and leaving altogether, but after a few minutes decided against it. She was about to knock again when the door opened, revealing Blaine's smiling face.

"Rachel, hey, good to see you, come on in."

Kurt and Blaine's apartment was similar to the one Rachel and her friends had rented when they first come to New York, it was tastefully furnished and decorated with a few of Kurt's eccentric flares here and there, not that Blaine seemed to mind.

"Kurt, Rachel's here!" Blaine called up the stairs and a few minutes later Kurt appeared, his hair swept back as it had been as of late wearing printed skinny jeans and a light weight sweater befitting the still cool weather as it was barely March.

"Hey Rachel!" Kurt said brightly then he walked over to Blaine, sliding an arm around his waist and the two of them walked over to the couch, Rachel following in their wake.

They seemed to stare at each other for what felt like an eternity before Rachel spoke, Kurt and Blaine both looking at her with anticipation; hopeful yet afraid of what she might say, and Rachel trying to find just the right words.

"I'll do it." She said simply.

Kurt's blue eyes widened, and he looked about as excited as Rachel had ever seen him.

"That's great Rachel."

"That's wonderful," Blaine echoed Kurt's sentiment, "Thank you."

"Only I have a few conditions…" Rachel interrupted slowly.

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look.

"You're not going to go all diva on us are you?" Kurt asked.

No, of course not!" Rachel exclaimed. "I just want to make sure this works out best for everyone involved, including me."

In the end, Kurt and Blaine understood Rachel's concerns and they agreed to wait, it was probably best, Blaine figured, they had so many other things to figure out, not to mention finding a fertility specialist. The good thing about it, he reflected, was it gave them something to look forward to and was the reason why for the next few months they went to bed with continuous smiles on their faces.


	3. Chapter 2

**I am very pleased with how this story is turning out. Thank you so much for all the great reviews and feedback. My overall premise for this story is this: as many people may have suspected I am not tackling this as Rachel necessarily being a parent, I mostly want to focus on her pregnancy, her relationship with Jesse (before and after they get married) and the events leading up to where the show was when we discover she is pregnant in the first place.**

**Iris Kane**

…

**Chapter 2**

**13 months later-November 2019**

Had someone told Blaine he would be in a fertility clinic a year ago he would've laughed. Had someone even told him 2 years ago, he would have laughed. The place where he and Kurt currently sat was so contrary to the type of people they were. As they sat there, gently holding hands which were clasped on Blaine's knee he could feel the stares. He could guess how many gay couples came through the doors of the fertility clinic (although the numbers must be more than they were a few years ago).

They started making plans around the holidays, Rachel had started looking for an obstetrician, and Kurt and Blaine started looking at fertility clinics. He didn't realize how many pieces went into making one human being, particularly if you couldn't do it the old-fashioned way. Once they had the all clear from Rachel's obstetrician, they all made appointments at the fertility clinic while the procedure was explained in detail. They could come in separately to give their…um… samples and the implantation would take place at a later date.

He and Kurt had joked about jerking off "on command", the when he came down to it the entire procedure kind of made him nervous as simple as it was.

"Don't worry about it," Kurt muttered under his breath, "it's just going to be you and me right? I mean, the nurse isn't going to be standing there watching us."

Blaine chuckled dryly.

"I hope not, that would be awkward."

Kurt squeezed his hand.

"Look, it's just going to be you and me, don't worry about it."

"You realize that's the third time you've said that right?" Blaine commented, "I wonder who's really nervous."

Kurt was about to respond when a smiling nurse with curly blonde hair poked her head through the door between the waiting room and the exam rooms.

"Mr. Hummel? Mr. Anderson?" Kurt and Blaine rose, "This way please, follow me."

Instead of leading them to one of the exam rooms she led them to another room down the hallway this door was shut with a "please knock before entering" sign on the doorknob.

"I'm sure it's been explained to you how this works." She pulled two small plastic containers from the pocket of her scrubs. "I'll leave you two to your business there's material in there if you need it. When you are finished, please bring the containers back to the second desk on the right. I'll come and check on you in a few minutes." She gave them a friendly but professional smile before taking her clipboard and walking away.

Blaine sighed upon watching her leave. He looked at Kurt.

"Well, let's do this."

It went better than either of them expected, and given they could block out all the chattering noise if someone happened to walk by the door they could easily imagine they were back in their apartment. While they were trying to relax Blaine flipped idly through some of the gay porn.

"I never really understood why some guys, gay or straight went for this stuff, but I guess I can see the appeal…" He raised his eyebrows in a particularly explicit picture, "it's just an excuse for guys who have too much time on their hands and haven't found the right person, I guess." He shrugged looking over at Kurt. "Well, let's get this over with, not that I'm not looking forward to it."

A short while later, Kurt and Blaine emerged holding their respective little containers appropriately labeled with their names, so as not to cause confusion.

The same perky nurse smiled when she saw them.

"Thank you gentlemen… Oh yes, there is one more thing. Who intends to be the biological father? I need to be able to tell the doctor which sample to use."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other they had been expecting this question, but at the moment had no good way to answer it, at least none that made sense out loud.

"Well we were talking that I should…" Blaine began uncertainly.

The two men looked at each other for a moment as if they were trying to assess the situation by saying as little as possible.

"I think Blaine should do it… Be the primary donor I mean." Kurt finally said, "I really don't mind, I'm still going to see the kid every day anyway," he grinned, "I mean, I'm still going to be a dad."

"We'll do that." Blaine answered decisively as he looked at Kurt again who nodded. Then they shook hands with the nurse, thanked her, and left, heading for Blaine's car which was parked up the block. The 2 young men pulled their coats and scarves more firmly around themselves, it wasn't even Christmasy at and it was already getting colder, although it was much warmer than it would be in the next few months.

Between her commitment to Blaine and Kurt and her increasing schedule Rachel was busy, she had almost forgotten to schedule the implantation date with the fertility specialist. At the moment, she was on hormone shots which were making her irritable at best, but she reminded herself it was all for a good cause. It would take months for her to be "ready" and she had accepted that, but the longer she could work the better. According to the research she, Blaine and Kurt had done it would be almost Christmas before she could actually get pregnant. (That's what they were hoping for anyway).

Every time she thought about what she was doing for Kurt and Blaine she smiled. Rachel also promised herself she would at least be available to her future son or daughter if he or she ever needed to talk about their family situation, and she would try to be the mother that her mother hadn't been.

Right now however, while she, Kurt and Blaine were living full lives there baby was nothing more than a clump of cells in a petri dish, but Rachel knew that little life would be so much more-much more.

It was 2 weeks before Christmas when the appointment for the egg harvesting was actually scheduled. If Rachel was honest with herself she was actually excited, but she was still holding her breath since the pregnancy wasn't necessarily a sure thing. She had insisted that Kurt and Blaine didn't need to accompany her to the appointment, but rather was certain it would be better if they didn't. The entire situation was awkward enough as it was. Rachel tackled the egg retrieval and what it entailed with the same determination she did everything and walked into the fertility clinic with her head held high.

The procedure was pretty simple, a little uncomfortable, but she managed. While the procedure progressed, her mind was still working away with all the things she had to do. There was the interview she had tomorrow, and she had her standing Friday night date with Jesse… Maybe she would ask Kurt and Blaine and Tina and Artie if they wanted to join them. Or maybe the three-way date could wait for another night, she and Jesse had a lot to discuss.

The doctor was smiling when he had finished. When she could finally see his face again, and her view was unobstructed by the blue surgical sheet he looks satisfied.

"You are finished, Ms. Berry… That should just about do it."

"There isn't anything else I need to do…?" Rachel asked.

"Not at the moment, no." The doctor replied. "In a few weeks we will do the implantation and after that you'll need to see the nurse about a pregnancy test, but other than that go about your daily routine."

Rachel was still smiling when she put her clothes back on and picked up her purse, which was on a chair nearby. It was only then she realized she had a text. The text was from Jesse. Rachel read the text once, then she read it again. She couldn't believe what it actually said, she thought for a moment, once again, she was dreaming and there was no way another one of her dreams was coming true.

**Sing has been nominated for a Tony!-J**


	4. Chapter 3

**Almost forgot to write this today, oops!**

**Last week, I had just posted chapter 2 when I realize I had made a mistake. And had written "insemination" instead of "egg retrieval", but it's all corrected now. Sorry if this caused any confusion.**

…

**Chapter 3**

Rachael was still reeling from Jesse's news about the Tony when she went in for the insemination a few weeks later. She had made the decision, since the child wasn't hers that she would only implant one embryo. She had not the means, time, or patience to deal with a twin pregnancy. While she was ready in her mind Rachel didn't know what she would do if in a few weeks the pregnancy test came out positive.

So once again she walked into the fertility clinic, and while she was keeping Kurt and Blaine updated on her progress she refused to let them accompany her. She did promise, however, that they could come with her when she found out if she was pregnant or not.

The implantation went smoothly and the doctor was just as gentle and kind as he had been on the previous occasion.

"Hopefully the next time I see you, you'll be pregnant." The doctor said with a smile.

Rachel shrugged.

"We'll see, I hope so, for my friends' sake anyway."

The doctor smiled again.

They seem like great guys, I can't wait to meet them."

It was a number of long weeks before Rachel, Kurt or Blaine would know if Rachel was pregnant or not. The only thing that distracted Rachel in the meantime was a string of interviews, dates with Jesse, and time with her friends, most of which were in and out of New York on a regular basis.

Jesse, for his part was supportive. He understood Rachel felt this was something she had to do for people who had seen her through thick and thin, and he took the news that his girlfriend was carrying someone else's child rather well. That was what Rachel liked about Jesse, he was strong and dependable but laid-back enough that he balanced out her energetic and high strung personality. Jesse was much more opinionated than Finn had ever been, but he was just as sweet and easy-going; the perfect person for her.

Blaine and Kurt, for their part were much more anxious than Rachel was. When they weren't working they spent the better part of the next few weeks taking turns pacing their apartment when they weren't doing anything in particular. This became so routine Rachel and the rest of their friends had the habit of teasing them every time someone walked in the door.

"Pacing isn't going to make a bit of difference and how fast you get the news, guys." Artie quipped when he and Tina had stopped by one afternoon.

"I know-we know-" Blaine finally said, "but I feel better when I'm actually doing something rather than sitting around and waiting." Kurt nodded in agreement.

"When's Rachel's doctor's appointment?" Tina asked.

"The Monday after Christmas." Blaine answered.

"You only have 2 more weeks," Artie concluded," hang in there." He gave Blaine an encouraging smile patting his shoulder.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other as they chuckled.

"We'll try."

The only thing Kurt, Blaine and Rachel had to look forward to, other than the possible pregnancy news was seeing their friends in New York in a few weeks. They had all agreed that they would meet up for dinner and drinks and Kurt and Blaine's apartment following Rachel's doctor's appointment regardless of the outcome.

Mercedes and Sam were the only two who would be unable to make the dinner, although they both promised they would Skype in at some point during the evening so they could hear the results and celebrate with the others. Mercedes, as much as she would've loved to be with her friends, was right in the middle of her current tour and wouldn't be in New York for at least another 3 weeks.

"I'll see you then, girl!" She had assured Rachel, "You can give me all the details then, VIP passes for everybody, my treat."

Finally the day of Rachel's doctor's appointment arrived and Kurt and Blaine were just as nervous as they had been 2 weeks earlier. Blaine was still hopping up-and-down on the balls of his feet as they waited for Rachel and shortly after 9 o'clock she pulled up to their apartment in the backseat of a taxi.

"What time is the appointment again?" Kurt asked as he slid in next to her and Blaine followed, briefly glancing at his watch.

"10 o'clock." Rachel answered, "My manager was able to push my interviews back a few hours, and I have a press run starting with Jesse tomorrow."

Rachel only paused in her conversation to give the taxi driver a series of terse directions.

Blaine and Kurt were used to Rachel like this, rattling off her schedule as she went about her day, as if she were worried she was going to forget something.

"Do you think you guys will do another run of "Sing"?" Kurt asked.

"Jesse wants to, or possibly look for something else later. I'll have to take some time off of course if I'm pregnant, but…" She shrugged.

Finally the taxi pulled up outside the fertility clinic. Before she got out Rachel took a deep breath, she reached to either side of her and squeezed Kurt and Blaine's hands.

"Well, let's do this."

The longest part of the entire appointment was waiting in the waiting room, but finally the nurse called them back and brought them into one of the exam rooms.

"The procedure is simple, I'm just going to do a little blood test and we'll see." She smiled at Rachel, "Fingers crossed." She turned and smiled at Kurt and Blaine, who chuckled nervously, Blaine biting his lip in a way Kurt found unbelievably sexy.

"Stop that," he hissed in his partner's ear, "it's sexy and unbearably distracting."

"Sorry," Blaine whispered back, "but I'm nervous, this is kind of a big deal you know."

Beside them Rachel smirked before she started laughing, shaking her head.

"Listen to you two, you would think you're the one who's pregnant."

Blaine laughed in response, and he seemed a bit more relaxed, if only slightly.

"I don't think that would be something I would like to experience myself it seems too… uncomfortable." He and Kurt exchanged a look, which only made Rachel laugh harder. She loved her friends.

When the nurse returned and had closed the door behind her, she was holding a piece of paper and smiling.

"I have some good news, congratulations, you're pregnant."

Immediately Rachel found herself in the middle of an extremely tight hug and Blaine was yelling in her ear, but she didn't care. She found herself smiling so much she thought her face would split in two. Had it been her own child, she would've rushed home and called her dads, but in this case she couldn't wait to tell all her friends, the people that mattered the most.

Later that evening when Rachel arrived at Kurt and Blaine's apartment with Jesse she was greeted by a number of expectant faces. Somewhere on the coffee table was a laptop which on the screen Mercedes and Sam had Skyped in, they too, wanted to hear the much-anticipated news.

"So," Tina asked.

"What did the doctor say?" Mercedes cut in.

Kurt, Rachel and Blaine looked at each other before Kurt blurted out.

"Were pregnant!"

There was a hearty applause from everyone, including Mercedes and Sam from where their faces could be seen on Artie's laptop.

"Drinks for everyone!" Blaine called out.

"Except for Rachel," Mercedes cut in, and Rachel laughed when Jesse retrieved Sprite from the fridge and poured some into a champagne glass. He seemed to be picking up Mercedes train of thought.

"Not for you mama. " he smiled at her, which gave Rachel the best feeling… Even without the alcohol.


	5. Chapter 4

**I was just asked in a recent review how long Rachel and Jesse have been dating. (Sorry I forgot to mention that fact earlier) if you backtrack the cannon it was probably between 3 or 4 years, so that's what I'm sticking with.**

**...**

**Chapter 4**

The next few weeks were a whirlwind for Rachel. She and Jesse continued doing press (both together and separately, while Rachel pondered about how to deal with the pregnancy and her public world.

It took Rachel a few meetings with Kurt and Blaine to decide how they were going to handle it. With Rachel being such a public figure on the Broadway circuit an unexplained pregnancy would make headlines.

"Do you want the public to know?" Kurt asked, "I mean, in today's society a surrogate for a gay couple isn't such an odd thing."

Blaine nodded.

"It may not be such an odd thing, but it's you, no offense. If the press finds out before we want them to their going to have a field day that Rachel Berry is acting as a surrogate for "some gay couple".

Rachel pushed a strand of her brown hair behind one ear, a habit of sorts left over from her days in high school; a self-conscious gesture.

"It's not like I can hide it forever," she reasoned with a quirky half smile, "the press is going to find out sooner or later."

"So do you want to go public with all this, maybe leave our names out of it?" Blaine suggested.

Rachel blew out a long breath.

"I think so…" She conceded, "… When I'm ready."

At the moment however Rachel wasn't that worried, she wasn't far enough along that she was showing anyway, so she could wait and in the meantime she was looking forward to her 8 week ultrasound where she would finally hear the heartbeat. This all new to her and she was excited for it; Kurt and Blaine were too.

The ultrasound technician was a young woman with dark hair about her age, and after everyone had shaken hands the technician went to work, spreading gel on Rachel's still flat stomach and studying the grainy image that showed up on the screen a few minutes later.

After a few minutes she smiled.

"Well here we are, a nice heartbeat." She pointed to something flickering within a small dark sac. "You want to hear it?"

Blaine's eyes widened and he looked so excited Rachel almost laughed.

"Yeah!" He exclaimed squeezing Kurt's hand.

A thrumming whoosh filled the room and Rachel, Kurt and Blaine looked at each other and grinned.

"I can't wait to find out what we're having." Kurt said, "It's going to be amazing."

Rachel chuckled.

"Easy for you to say, you're not pregnant and you don't have to give birth."

Blaine couldn't seem to resist another grin as he looked from face to face; they were all beaming.

"Okay," Blaine finally relented with an amused smirk, "point taken."

Rachel was relieved when the week was over. She was looking forward to spending some quiet time with Jesse just the two of them. As much as she loved her friends, she wanted to spend some time with her boyfriend, as date nights and quiet time between just the two of them had been scarce as of late.

Jesse had decided to take her out for dinner and they planned's to meet up after work. As much as Rachel loved walking around New York, tonight was one of the nights she opted to take a car, something that had been foreign and out of character for her when she had first moved to New York.

Tonight she was wearing a simple navy blue cocktail dress, covered with a simple peacoat while Jesse was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt, nice but not too nice, casual but not too casual. In fact, she was relieved when the dress still zipped, but she supposed she wasn't pregnant enough that that would be a problem.

When Jesse helped her out of the car he smiled at her.

"You look great Rachel, I have to say pregnancy agrees with you."

"Tell that to my morning sickness." Rachel quipped with a small smile. She wasn't going to try to be adventurous with her eating just now knowing her stomach probably wouldn't allow it. "I'll be happy when the first trimester is over and the nausea goes away, but no seafood or anything terribly spicy for me tonight, at least not yet."

"What are you in the mood for?" Jesse asked.

"Italian I think, maybe just some pasta and a soda, no wine tonight."

"Of course." Jesse said with a smile as he kissed her softly as they walked into the Italian restaurant down the block.

They were given a table by a window, where the whimsical scene of the city whizzed by and people walked by at random intervals. The city was busy, but it had dulled down to a quiet evening hum. It wasn't until halfway through dinner Rachel realized how nervous Jesse seemed, she wanted to ask him about it but wasn't quite sure how to broach the subject. His foot tapping under the table and he kept fidgeting, which was quite unusual for him, he was usually so put together.

"Jesse, is anything wrong…?" Rachel eventually queried.

"No," Jesse replied, "it's just I have a question for you, but I'm not quite sure how you'll take it."

"I'll give you the best answer I can." Rachel replied firmly.

"Alright then, here it goes." Jesse took a deep breath before he began. "Rachel I know I walked in and out of your life at the best time and the worst possible time. I know you weren't necessarily looking for love again, but personally and professionally you're probably the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Rachel could feel herself beginning to tear up and partially hoped she could blame it on the pregnancy hormones.

Jesse continued.

"I want to keep feeling that way, now and for the rest of our lives. I want to continue sharing all these wonderful experiences-everything-with you so what I'm trying to say is… Rachel Berry will you marry me?"

At that moment the food was forgotten and Rachel's fork hit her plate with a clatter. Her hands went to her mouth and this time she did cry, tears leaking slowly down her cheeks, she hoped her mascara didn't run too much.

"Oh Jesse…" She mumbled tearfully, "yes… Yes… I will marry you."

Then they kissed, Rachel didn't even care that they both smelled like garlic.

The first thing Rachel wanted to do after Jesse proposed was call everybody including Sam and Mercedes and Mr. Shue. Her dads would have to know of course particularly if they were going to start planning the wedding. She only hoped she and Jesse could be married before the baby was born and before she got as big as a house. That would have to be something she and Jesse would have to discuss. 

Rachel's first phone call following her engagement (other than her dads) had been to Will Schuster.

Currently, William Schuster, President of McKinley School for the Performing Arts, lived in Lima with his 5-year-old son Daniel and his wife Emma. He had just gotten home from yet another busy day and was just reaching for his young son when the phone rang. Upon seeing the area code he knew immediately who it was.

"Rachel!" "How's it going, great to hear from you!"

"Great!" Rachel enthused, "I have some really great news-2 things actually."

Will settled the cordless phone against his shoulder as he picked up his son who was currently pulling at his pant leg, his large blue eyes looking up at Will and his intra-minute cries of "Daddy, Daddy" reaching Will's ears.

"What's up?" He asked in the same casual tone he had often used when Rachel was a student.

It seemed Rachel could barely contain her excitement.

"First," she began, "Jesse and I are engaged!"

"That's wonderful!" Will exclaimed, "I'm happy for you, marriage really is a wonderful stage of life; I hope you find happiness."

"Thanks." Rachel replied, her joy seemingly contagious.

"Your second piece of news?" Will asked.

"I'm pregnant!" Rachel responded, the answer caught Will off guard, this had not been the answer he had been expecting.

"That's great Rachel, you're going to be a wonderful mom."

"It's a little bit more complicated than that," Rachel replied slowly, "I'm not keeping the baby." Upon hearing Will's protests she cut him off. "No, no, it's not like that, the baby is for Kurt and Blaine, I'm their surrogate."

"That's a selfless thing to do Rachel, I'm proud of you and hope everything goes well for you. If you need anything Emma and I are here to talk."

"Thanks." Rachel said again, "it's just other than my dads, I kind of wanted you to be the first to know."

Will nodded. He smiled into the phone.

"Thanks Rachel, I appreciate that."

The next person she called (after her dads) was Mercedes. Mercedes was still on the East Coast so the time difference wouldn't be much of a problem. She punched out Mercedes cell phone, hoping she was either offstage or back at her hotel.

Fortunately Mercedes picked up on the second ring.

"Oh good, you're still up." Rachel said in relief.

"Yeah, I probably won't be out of here till close to midnight," Mercedes replied, "the crew is still packing everything up, I'm off to Pennsylvania in a few hours."

Rachel could barely contain her excitement.

"Mercedes, you'll never guess what Jesse asked me tonight!"

There was a brief pause before Mercedes spoke again.

"… He did not! Did he?"

Rachel nodded before realizing Mercedes couldn't see her.

"He did!" She confirmed, "Jesse asked me to marry him!"

"Well girl, I hope you said yes. After Finn, that boy was the best thing that happened to you, and I mean that."

There was another pause before Mercedes spoke again.

"So when's the big day?"

"We don't know yet, though we know we wanted to be pretty soon, before the baby's born. So probably in the next few months."

"So did you tell your dads yet?" Mercedes asked, "I bet they're thrilled!"

Rachel laughed softly suppressing a smile.

"They are."

Just then over the phone Rachel heard a knock and figured Mercedes was in her dressing room. "Hey Rachel, I got to run, someone's at the door, either one of the guys from my band or my manager." Rachel looked at the clock, and figured she should probably let Mercedes go knowing she had to be in a different state in a few hours..

"Okay," she replied, "I'll talk to you later."

"You keep me posted about the baby, girl. Let me know when you find out what you're having, although Kurt and Blaine will probably text me before then." Mercedes chuckled.

After a few more minutes the girls hung up and Rachel headed for bed. From the light in the half bath in the bedroom she knew Jesse was still up but would be coming to bed shortly.

Long after Jesse had fallen asleep, Rachel lay awake, the days events still running around in her mind. On her finger still sparkling in the dim light coming through the windows was her engagement ring. She looked at it and smiled, but it seemed like she had been doing a lot of that lately.


	6. Chapter 5

**Sorry this chapter took so long to get up, I meant to have it up earlier but it's been a few hair-raising days. My dog's been sick so I've been taking care of her.**

**Chapter 5**

It was like she had gone from 0 to 60 in a matter of weeks. Not only was she carrying a baby but she was also planning a wedding; and it was a race against time to say "I do" before she got as big as a house.

Rachel was a planner, she had always been a planner from the time she was a little girl, her "dream board" in her apartment was proof is that. It was with the same enthusiasm she tackled planning for her wedding. Immediately she knew who she wanted to involve and she set about texting and calling all her friends to see if they want to be in the wedding and who she wanted to do what. Of course, they all said yes.

When she and Jesse weren't working, they were wedding planning. The first order of business was setting a wedding date so everything that followed would coincide with it.

"February 14?" Rachel asked. When she and Jesse first discussed the date.

"Too soon." He replied, maybe July or August."

"I'll be 8 or 9 months pregnant by then!" Rachel exclaimed, "Do you know how hard it's going to be to find a wedding dress!"

They finally decided on May 17, which was roughly a month before the Tony's, but far enough away from her due date in July it wouldn't be that much of a problem. Then there was the venue, the caterer, the cake and the honeymoon to consider.

Their first obstacle was money, and Rachel suggested they do what Brittany and Santana had done for their wedding and hire their friends, which Jesse partially agreed with but he mentioned his family was also expecting a "professional" looking wedding.

"We have more money, we definitely got more from the run of the show," Rachel laughed, "we're definitely not as poor as we used to be, or at least not as poor as _I_ used to be."

Jesse laughed.

"Well if you hadn't been like that I never would have fallen in love with you."

In the meantime, Rachel continued to deal with her pregnancy. She was almost 2 months along by now and was still dealing with the symptoms of her first trimester; she would be glad when they were over. Her next big ultrasound was to find out the sex, which of course she was taking Kurt and Blaine to. While Kurt didn't really care whether the baby was a boy or girl Blaine definitely wanted a boy, if only they could turn their son or daughter into a "Mini Warbler". The comment made Kurt and Rachel laugh.

"So what are we going to name this kid anyway?" Blaine asked one evening when he, Rachel, Artie and Kurt were hanging out at Kurt and Blaine's apartment.

"He's going to need a great name," Rachel commented, "since he's going to have 2 of the best people I know as parents."

"I'm not naming the baby, if it's a boy, after my dad." Kurt stated emphatically, "don't get me wrong, I love my dad, but "Bert" is a bit old-fashioned name if you ask me."

"What about girls names?" Rachel asked.

"What about…" Kurt mused, he and Rachel both looked at each other.

"Barbra!" They both said in unison and laughed, since Barbra Streisand was one of their favorite singers.

"Eleanor, Dana?" Blaine suggested and everyone in the apartment nodded.

"Those are good." Artie complemented, "I think Barbra is a great name."

"What about boys names?" Kurt asked.

"Junior?" Blaine asked.

"Junior what?" Rachel replied.

"Blaine Junior?" Blaine replied with a smirk.

"Blaine, really?" Artie asked, the boy in the wheelchair rolled his eyes. "Of all the narcissistic, egotistical things…"

"I don't mind." Rachel said softly, "I think it's sweet." She smiled at Blaine who grinned at her,

"Thank you Rachel, at least someone has my back."

"And I don't!" Kurt huffed, which only made them all crack up again.

Mercedes Jones had been on the road for almost two months, but before returning to her home in LA (and her boyfriend) she was doing a press run in New York. She was going to be in New York for at least a week and was more than happy to spend her free time with her friends.

In the past few months Kurt and Blaine's apartment had become the epicenter for all New York gatherings and this was where Mercedes ended up on a Monday evening before returning to her hotel later that night.

"Mercedes!" Kurt exclaimed as he reached out to hug his friend. "What are you doing here?"

Mercedes shrugged.

"I was in town. Well actually I'm in town for about a week doing press for the current tour. You know New York is practically my second home and I couldn't miss seeing you guys." Everyone reached to hug Mercedes, but finally she stopped where Rachel was sitting on the couch nearby. Looking down at the other young woman, Mercedes smiled.

"How are you and the little munchkin holding up?" She asked.

"I'll be happy when the morning sickness is over, but I'm managing." Rachel replied.

"You know what you're having yet?" Mercedes asked.

"Not yet, we were just discussing names a few weeks ago. They don't check for gender for another few months, though we're looking forward to it."

"Oh! By the way let me see that rock!" Mercedes exclaimed as she held out her hand for Rachel's in inspection of her engagement ring.

"When's the big day?" She asked excitedly her brown eyes widening expectantly

"May 17." Rachel replied, "the situation is an ideal, but it's the best I could've hoped for at least will be married before I have the baby. We just picked out the invitations last week, they should be in the mail very soon."

Mercedes hugged her friend.

"Rachel, I'm so proud of you. You really have come a long way from the girl I met in glee club, and I don't just mean that because you're nominated for a Tony."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was a busy week for Rachel, between clarifying wedding details and sending out invitations she was looking for work. There wasn't much for an actress to do given her condition considering she would have to take time off anyway no one would hire her for a long-term project, which, as disappointed as she was, she expected. The only thing she managed was a couple of hosting gigs. She had even been booked to sing at the New York Gay Pride parade, which, while not on the scale she would've liked was better than nothing. She would be close to full term by then, but as long as she could still sing that's all Rachel cared about.

Before she could clarify details about who was coming to the parade however, Rachel was accosted by another commitment, this one a bit more personal.

"My parents want to throw us an engagement party." Jesse explained one evening after he had gotten home.

Rachel smiled.

"That's wonderful."

"They said something about renting a banquet hall here in New York and inviting our friends and family."

"Do they know about…?" Rachel asked, gesturing to her growing belly.

"No, not all of them, "I figured that wasn't the type of news you broke over the phone." Jesse replied.

"Well I better start calling everybody, I hope Sam, Mercedes, and Mr. Shue can make it."

The engagement party was scheduled for the second Saturday in February, since it had been preempted by the holidays and everyone's work schedule. Finding an appropriate outfit for the occasion proved to be more difficult than expected because by the end of April Rachel was beginning to show and her clothes were just getting tight enough that they didn't fit properly or refused to go on altogether.

One weekend at the end of January, Rachel stood bedroom getting ready for the day, looking sadly at another blouse that didn't quite close.

"Oh well," she sighed, as she set the blouse aside, "I'll have to make do with tunic tops and belts for now until Tina, Brittany and Santana can take me shopping." Rachel had a few maternity clothes, things she had picked up here and there but nothing that really made a complete outfit, really all she needed was a few simple pieces and she could manage.

Jesse's parents arrived two days before the party as they wanted to spend time with Rachel and Jesse and get the lay of the land before everything was organized for the party. Also coming into town were Jesse's grandparents, they were the ones paying for most of the party, something they were more than happy to do for their only grandson.

Rachel had only met Jesse's parents briefly when they had come to New York for_ Sing_ opening night. The drinks afterwards had been a little awkward, but if Rachel had learned anything in the past few years it was grace and poise and that a smile went a long way with strangers.

Jesse's father was an older version of him, he was a little harsh at times but Rachel figured he met well and only figured out he was the reason Jesse was so driven. His mother, by contrast, was a short, but slender woman with short, wavy reddish hair. Courtney St. James had a warm air about her and shook Rachel's hand in a motherly fashion when introduced.

This had all been before Rachel had broken the news, although it wasn't hard to notice her pregnancy was getting harder to hide, and she figured a woman like Courtney St. James could probably tell.

They were sitting down for dinner when Jesse's mother spoke.

"Rachel, dear, you didn't tell me you were expecting." She looked curiously from Jesse to Rachel and back again.

"Mrs. St. James, please, it's not what you think." Rachel stammered, she wasn't quite sure what to say to the other woman who would be her mother-in-law in a few short months.

"Oh really, what is it?"

"Jesse isn't the father," Rachel hastily explained and hurried on when she saw Mrs. St. James's eyebrows raise further. "I mean, I'm not keeping the baby…"

Mrs. St. James was about to say something when Jesse spoke.

"Mom, what Rachel is trying to say is she's a surrogate for a friend of hers, they're trying to have a baby and Rachel offered to help."

Mrs. St. James nodded slowly, but Rachel could tell she was still processing the information.

"So I'm not going to be a grandmother." She finally responded slowly.

"Not yet I'm afraid." Jesse replied with a small smile, but Rachel could tell he was as rattled by his mother's inquisition as she had been.

After a few minutes Courtney St. James's expression cleared and her face brightened.

"Now, about the wedding is it going to be here in New York or…? What were you thinking about as far as color…?"

And so it went.

Saturday morning was unusually busy Jesse's parents and grandparents. They had left early to go set up for the party later that afternoon while Jesse and Rachel waited for their friends. People trickled in over the next few hours and eventually Rachel and Jesse split up, Jesse with his friends and Rachel with hers, promising they would meet at the banquet hall half an hour before the party was to start. In the meantime, Santana, Brittany, Tina and Mercedes whisked Rachel away for some much-needed shopping.

"Girl you have to find something." Santana said firmly, "I'm not going to let you walk into your engagement party looking like the pregnant women I see on movies and TV."

After scouring the racks at every available department store, Rachel finally found what she was looking for a pink maternity dress that she could wear to the engagement party. She also bought a blazer and a few more shirts and pants and she knew she would have to buy more (many more) before the baby was born.

Afterwards they all went back to the apartment to get ready when Rachel finally emerged from her bedroom shortly before 1:30 PM her friends gave her the appropriate comments and criticism before pronouncing the dress "perfect".

"Jesse's going to love that!" Mercedes pronounced nodding in satisfaction.

Rachel looked at herself in the mirror in the main part of the apartment, thinking she had to agree.

The next few hours passed in a whirlwind. By the time the doors opened it in the banquet hall Rachel couldn't believe everything had been put together in such a short period of time. Everybody who was there were all the people that cared for her most including her dads and their significant others. She didn't know how many times she and Jesse had been embraced by family, friends and strangers, but at the moment she was so happy she didn't really care.

In the center of one table was a large cake which read "Congratulations, Rachel and Jesse" in blue icing. It was after everyone had mingled for a while and hugs and kisses had been exchanged that people started talking, the conversation being started by Jesse's parents.

"Thank you everyone for coming, I'm sure none of us need to express how thrilled and happy we are for Rachel and Jesse as they start their new life together."

Similar sentiments were exchanged by everyone in the room and Rachel think everyone graciously. In hindsight it was good practice for any acceptance speech she may make in her future as an actress.

A few hours later the crowd dwindled down and people began to leave so it was only the family and Rachel and Jesse who remained. Everyone helped with the cleanup before all packing into their cars and returning to their homes and hotels. Will and Emma were one of the first people to leave. The mess was making Emma anxious and Daniel was beginning to fuss, because he was the only child there and he was bored and had no one to play with, but Rachel assured Mr. Shue she understood.

"We'll see you tomorrow." Mercedes assured her, I'm thinking before we all leave we need to see if we can find some outfits for that little munchkin." She smiled and patted Rachel's belly as she did so.

The next morning, while Jesse spent some time with his parents. Rachel went shopping with the girls. They looked at a few baby stores and other things the baby would need, Rachel only ended up buying a few things, a couple of sleepers, a hat and a blanket. She didn't want to get to specific since they didn't know whether it was a boy or a girl yet. Brittany ended up buying a small teddy bear which said I love you on a heart it held between its paws, everyone agreeing it would be perfect for the baby's crib. They all left the store with smiles on their faces.

The next stop was a surprise to Rachel. Mercedes and Santana ended up blank folding her and not letting her see where they were going until they were right in front of the store when they took off the blindfold, they were right in front of Klinfelds, one of the largest bridal salons in the country.

"We made you an appointment last week." Santana explained, "Now let's go shopping!"

They were greeted by a smiling consultant, who listened patiently while Rachel explained her dilemma, a short timeframe for her wedding and being pregnant.

"Okay," the consultant replied with a smile, "come on back, I'll see what I can do."

…

**This chapter ended up being much longer than I expected, so I cut out a lot of the wedding details to put in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

A short while later, Rachel waited in her dressing room, while her friends waited anxiously in the front of the salon. Her consultant came back a few minutes later carrying an armful of dresses. Most of the dresses were long and flowing because that was what Rachel had described she wanted. She didn't think she could fit into something more fitted-regular clothes were hard enough to fit at the moment let alone a wedding dress

"I want something flowy and simple…" She told the consultant, "elegant and romantic but enough to hide this." She gestured to the growing baby bump.

"Of course." The consultant replied with a smile, her shoulder length blonde hair bobbing slightly as she moved. "Let's start with this." And she began to fit Rachel into the first dress.

A few minutes later Rachel was standing on the runway in front of a full-length mirror, her friends behind her and the consultant beside her, awaiting her reaction on the dress.

"I like it…" She said slowly, "but it's not my favorite."

"How would you know?" Santana interjected, "You've only tried on one dress."

"I just know okay." Rachel replied quietly. (In the mirror she saw Santana reach for Britney's hand, the gesture made her left out in a way and she wished Jesse was there).

"No?" The consultant replied seeing her expression, "That's okay, let's try something else." Then she led Rachel off the runway and back towards the dressing room.

Vetoing any rouching on a number of dresses because it failed to fit her changing figure, Rachel opted for a number of flowy, simple gowns. Each was more beautiful than the next but most of them were not her. She could tell the consultant was getting frustrated, she was too and she was about to give up and come back another time when the consultant, with the help of one of the executives, pulled one last gown.

"Here we go," The consultant said cheerfully, "let's try this."

The minute Rachel slipped the gauzy fabric over her head she knew something was different. It was in the way the fabric flowed down, the way it hugged the curves she did have. She felt beautiful… More beautiful than she ever had in her entire life.

"Do you want to show them?" The consultant asked seeming to already know her answer.

Rachel only nodded.

There was an immediate intake of breath from her friends where they were sitting on the couches in the front of the salon.

"Oh Rachel, you look beautiful." Mercedes murmured, almost reverently.

"Girl you look smoking!" Santana interjected, "Jesse isn't going to know what hit him."

Rachel chuckled self-consciously as she looked at herself in the mirror, she knew her friends were right, Jesse was going to like this dress.

"Rachel you look amazing." Tina offered softly.

"Rachel, is this it?" The consultant asked.

Rachel couldn't believe her own reaction and she found she had tears welling up in her eyes automatically reaching out to wipe them away. Wordlessly, she nodded.

Then they were putting the veil on her which dropped well past her shoulders and finally Rachel looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a bride. She was so overwhelmed she could barely hear her friends clapping in the background. Rachel was still smiling dreamily to herself when she walked out of the salon.

"You know we're paying for the dress right?" Mercedes said with a smile, "Consider it a wedding present, why do you think we insisted you raise your budget."

With her dress ordered Rachel turned her attention to other wedding details. She and Jesse were still deciding on their wedding cake and where the wedding itself would be. At the moment they were arguing about whether to have it in New York or in Ohio.

"I really love New York." Rachel told him, "I really do, but for my wedding I want something more intimate, something I don't want something the press is going to get wind of it and for to be in the papers the next day, and having it in New York certainly is going to do that."

Jesse gave a wry smile.

"My parents may have something to say about that, I think my mother was under the impression we would be having the wedding here and throwing it in one of the big venues in the city."

"That sounds wonderful Jesse, but for my wedding I would rather have something more intimate and actually have time to talk to my guests during my wedding reception."

Jesse ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll talk to them… I guess we're still figuring that one out."

Their decision about their wedding cake wasn't as difficult as the dress or the venue, (which was still up for debate) will, had been. They chose a cake from a local bakery and took off part of an afternoon to go to a tasting. Rachel and Jesse finally decided on a red velvet cake, which was a simple six tier wedding cake decorated with small sugared flowers between the tiers. Rachel could barely taste each flavor and she went, her nausea had been bugging her a lot as of late and it took nearly everything she had to get through the day. She let Jesse make a lot of the decisions as far as cake and food, he knew she would be happy with whatever he chose.

"At least were not having our reception at Breadsticks." She chuckled, "That's a little too simple, even for me."

"I never said we had to go so cheap," Jesse replied. "My fiancé is a budding Broadway actress, I would think she would have a little bit more class."

Rachel chuckled and smiled up at him. He was right of course, she wanted a balance between the girl she had been in Ohio and the woman she was becoming. Every step filled her with an excitement she couldn't quite explain better than the adrenaline rush she got every time she went on stage.

When Rachel wasn't planning for her upcoming wedding, she was at Kurt and Blaine's apartment discussing the future of their child.

"We'll live in New York of course." Kurt said firmly, "I mean, Blaine and I have jobs here and when we're not working with the local arts program. I'm doing editorials for Vogue and Blaine's taking classes for his Bachelors."

"Where are you guys going to live?" Rachel asked, "there isn't enough room in here for all the baby stuff." She gestured around the spacious but cluttered, loft apartment.

"We were thinking about getting a house a few blocks from here," Blaine replied, "I think that would be the best thing for us right now."

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes before Kurt spoke again.

"Rachel, don't take this the wrong way, but how much do you want to be involved in the baby's life? Is our son or daughter going to be calling you mom?"

Rachel smiled.

"I'd love to be involved as much as possible… If you let me. My mom wasn't really a part of my life, so I would love to be a part of our child's life as much as I could."

"Good." Blaine said with a chuckle, "because I'm not changing all the dirty diapers."

Rachel left and shoved him in the shoulder.

"Well you're going to have to change diapers, it comes with the territory."

"True, true," Blaine amended, "but I can't think of two people I would rather have help me raise a kid than two of my best friends." Then he squeezed them both, leaned over and kissed Kurt, and the three of them fell into silence for what seemed like a long time, but that was just the way they liked it.


	9. Chapter 8

**Sorry this chapter is much shorter than the others, I'm hoping the next one will be longer. Updates on this story may be slower since I am in the process of starting to new writing projects.**

…

**Chapter 8**

The first major drama that ensued in regards to Rachel and Jesse's wedding was of course the venue. While Jesse's parents expected a big glitzy New York wedding Rachel wanted something more down to earth. Yes, she wanted to look nice-very nice-if truth be told but she still wanted to feel like her not strictly the actress she was becoming.

"But sweetheart," Courtney St. James fussed at Jesse on a particular weekend when he and Rachel were visiting, "you both live in New York, it only seems logical that you should have the wedding there."

"Rachel wants something more simple mom, something all of our friends and her family can attend without being thrown out of their element," at this point he gave a sigh that was somewhat exasperated, "we're not famous yet."

While Rachel and Jesse continued to discuss the venue options the long drown out argument with his parents continued. It was like beating a cement wall, Rachel thought, you only made progress as little by little was chipped away (and it took a long time).

It was only after about two weeks of the same argument Mrs. St. James finally gave in, finally seeing Rachel's point of view. In her limited experience she had with her future in-laws, (and they with her) she and Courtney St. James hadn't exactly seen eye to eye, the older woman was much more put together and dignified then Rachel ever hoped to be; she thought the other woman must have been a pageant queen at some point.

Courtney St. James showed up at the apartment one afternoon when Rachel was home alone, Rachel, for her part was surprised to see her.

"Hello, Mrs. St. James," Rachel said pleasantly, "is there something I can do for you?"

Courtney St. James fluttered her hands and shook her head. She reminded Rachel of the old-style actresses she had seen. "Is Jesse home?"

"No," Rachel replied, "but he will be soon."

"Good." Courtney St. James replied firmly, "Actually, it was you I wanted to talk to."

Rachel sank down in a nearby chair.

"Me?" She asked softly, "What for?"

"This entire wedding venue business." She said in the same brisk tone, "I believe you and I got off on the wrong foot and for that I apologize."

Rachel was more than a little surprised at the other woman's admission, she knew Courtney St. James wasn't the type of woman to admit fault easily.

"Well I appreciate that." Rachel replied gently.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Courtney St. James spoke again.

"So, the wedding will be at your church, then?"

Rachel nodded.

"I think that should be nice." She finally decided as if she had thought of it in the first place, "Now, tell me about your parents…"

The time Rachel didn't spend with her professional obligations or answering questions from Courtney St. James about how she came to be the daughter of two gay men, was spent in the bridal salon beginning the first of many fittings.

She knew the fitting wasn't going to be easy given her abdomen was still growing, but she took it with a grain of salt and appreciated every bit of patience the seamstresses bestowed upon her. The first time she saw herself in her own dress in the mirror she nearly cried, only reaffirming that this was indeed the dress and Jesse would surely love it.

It was moments like this Rachel was astounded how far she had come and smiled radiantly at her reflection. She was glad (for the meantime) that her pregnancy symptoms had subsided somewhat and was looking forward to her second trimester, which she had read was better than the first.

"This will take a few more weeks, but our biggest adjustment with this dress is the side and back seams," the seamstress was saying, but Rachel was barely listening and she only nodded as she held the still loose bodice up with a forearm. Her mind still a whirl of things that had to be done.

Meanwhile, Kurt and Blaine continued preparing for the baby. As they prepared for the new addition to their growing family, they were also in the process of looking for a house, something appropriate for a family just starting out. This had been the subject of numerous arguments not to mention the cost of baby furniture, bottles and diapers among other things.

"What about the nice mahogany crib we saw in the department store the other day?" Blaine asked.

Kurt was quick in his response.

"Are you crazy Blaine, we can't afford that! It's at least five to eight hundred dollars more than I thought we agreed to spend."

"But-even with your raise at work…?" He trailed off, still frowning uncertainly at his partner.

Kurt shrugged.

"We can always see if we can get one secondhand…" He suggested, "perhaps in a similar style you were talking about."

Now it was Blaine's turn to nod conceding the point. Then he got up seeming to clear his head and abruptly changed the topic.

"Whatever the case Kurt, we need to find a house first. Did you ever check with the realtor about that house we saw the other day?"

And so it went.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Rachel had been running around so much in the past few weeks preparing for the wedding and locating suitable work, she had almost forgotten about her doctor's appointment, that was, until Jesse reminded her.

**Ultrasound today,** he wrote in a brief text, **finally we figure out if it's a girl or a boy.-J**

Rachel almost dropped her phone when she received the text, but as soon as she could she replied.

**Thanks for reminding me. I'm surprised you are the one texting me and not Kurt or Blaine.**

**Guess I'm beat them to it,** Jesse replied,** but they're not your fiancé either.**

Rachel had to smile at that one. 

It was the second week in March and the weather was just starting to get warmer. It was at the point where winter coats were going to do it anymore and one needed to find something slightly lighter, but it was still cold enough one couldn't walk around without a jacket altogether, but Rachel preferred this to the breezy, damp New York winter weather.

Her ultrasound was scheduled for later that afternoon making sure Jesse, Kurt and Blaine could all attend. Since everyone wanted to be surprised Rachel decided to have the technician write down the gender and put it in an envelope to be revealed at a party Artie and Tina were throwing later that weekend.

"Lots of company today?" The technician commented when Rachel walked in

Smiling, Rachel made the introductions.

"My fiancée, Jesse St. James and Kurt and Blaine," she gestured to the two men behind her, "are the parents."

The technician nodded, although Rachel noted she looked somewhat dazed.

"Do you guys want to know or…?"

"We're having a gender reveal party this weekend," Rachel explained, "we all want to be surprised."

The technician nodded again.

"Just write down what it is, but we won't be looking at it now." Kurt explained.

"I can do that." She replied before she grinned, "no peaking now."

Rachel walked out of the doctor's office with an envelope in her purse containing the gender of the baby. She would give the envelope to Artie and Tina so they can plan the gender reveal accordingly. The party was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, and everyone was just busy enough between now and then Artie and Tina had enough time to work their magic.

Rachel nearly flew through the rest of her week and was still running on a high by the time she arrived at Kurt and Blaine's for the gender reveal. As Artie and Tina had planned, everyone was out of the house until just before the party and when so you're going back in your grade if you don't shut up quiet you had a calm down and trying to finish my writing out down everyone arrived Artie would reveal what Rachel was having.

Jesse and Rachel were just walking up the stoop when Kurt and Blaine arrived, as usual, their arms around each other.

"You know what's going on in there?" Rachel asked.

Blaine shook his head.

"Not a clue, Tina banished us until a little bit before 2 PM."

When Rachel knocked on the door it was opened by none other than Santana, who was wearing an apron. Brittney appeared behind her a few minutes later streaks of flour in her blonde hair.

"I guess I don't need to ask who is doing the cooking." Rachel said with a chuckle looking from Santana to Brittany and back again.

"I was going to make empanadas," Santana said, "my abuela's recipe, except well…" She trailed off uncertainly glancing at her partner, at which point Brittany was more than happy to fill in the details.

"But I burned them," Brittney explained, as if this was no big deal, "so we're making tacos and hotdogs instead."

The awkward silence was broken by Jesse's upbeat response.

"Great! Sounds good."

After everyone had arrived, which was about as many people that could fit in Kurt and Blaine's living room, Artie made a speech and Rachel had to admit despite the fact he was primarily sitting down most of the time he had a way of making himself be heard.

"Hey, everybody, listen up!" He called to make himself be heard over the chatter. "I would like to welcome you all to Kurt and Blaine's gender reveal party and I'm sure all of you are eager to celebrate with Kurt, Blaine and Rachel, but before we all dig in I have a special announcement to make." Artie turned to his girlfriend. "Tina, the envelope, if you please."

Next to Artie, in the middle of the room was a large box and Artie and Tina exchanged another look as Artie prepared to open the envelope.

Artie took the envelope and repositioned himself in his chair before continuing.

"Drumroll please."

Someone in the room made a drumming noise on a nearby table.

"Kurt and Blaine are having a… Boy!"

After that several things happened at once. Several people cheered as blue balloons and blue streamers burst from the box as as a Tina opened it, Kurt and Blaine hugged, then kissed and Blaine hugged Rachel, his free arm finally settling around her shoulders.

"Will you all take me seriously about Blaine Junior now?" Blaine asked.

Everyone laughed.

The next week was spent finalizing everything from the flowers to the decorations. Rachel had decided to use flowers from her dad's garden and the decorations already provided by the church. The bridal shower and baby shower was scheduled for that weekend with the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and wedding the following weekend, which meant Rachel had to fly to Ohio, finalize details, go back to New York, and then fly back to Ohio the next not give her a lot of time.

Rachel was exhausted by the time she returned to New York on Friday. She had just enough time to get ready and make herself look presentable before everyone arrived. She was just fixing her hair and makeup when there was a knock on the door.

The party would be in two parts: the first part would be for Kurt and Blaine and the baby and the second part would be for Rachel and the girls (Mercedes said she was already taking off for the wedding and it would be silly for her to fly out to New York twice in two weeks so she was Skyping in as she had with the pregnancy announcement).

A large amount of presents was piling up in the living room. There were two piles, one for bridal presents and the other for the baby. Once again, Archie had outdone himself, and Rachel's apartment had been transformed into something soft and whimsical. The scene from the week before was repeated although with a little less chaos and everyone was still helping themselves to hors d'oeuvres when Rachel, Blaine and Kurt began opening the first of the gifts.

There was everything from diapers to little hats and booties; Jesse had even bought a mobile for the baby's crib. The best gift, however, was a rocking chair from Mercedes, which had been shipped a few weeks ago to arrive at Rachel's shortly before the shower.

"That's my gift to you guys," Mercedes said with a smile from where her face beamed from an iPad on the coffee table, "I figure you will need it with all those late nights."

Blaine looked over the rocking chair, which Jesse had spent an entire afternoon while Rachel was out of town putting together.

"Thank you Mercedes, we'll be sure to put it to good use."

It was after all the chatter had died down Blaine spoke up.

"First of all," he began, putting an arm around Kurt as he spoke, "I would like to thank everyone for their amazing gifts, and second of all Kurt and I have another announcement to make. As of today, well technically it was last Wednesday, we made an offer on that house we were looking at and the realtor's pretty sure were going to get it; it's pretty close to what the owner was asking for."

There was another round of cheering smattered with the occasional "congratulations" Kurt and Blaine were beaming, the entire mood was infectious and she couldn't help it. It was the happiest she had been in a long time.

By the time the guys left a few hours later, and Mercedes had excused herself saying she needed to go get dinner before she headed off to the studio later, Rachel set to opening the second pile of presents which were more practical to a couple just starting out. Kurt and Blaine had taken most of the baby things back to their apartment although Rachel wasn't sure how much extra space her friends would have upon bringing some of the extra things into their already cramped apartment. 

March blurred into April and the months and weeks passed surprisingly quickly. While Jesse was working on a new idea for another play Rachel Center time trying to book gigs where ever she could. Her only success seem to be for a couple of pregnancy magazines sense everyone was fascinated that Rachel Barry was pregnant, even though they didn't know the entire story.

The photo shoot was interesting and was unlike anything Rachel had ever done before. She had been all manner of performing arts putting herself out there that a photo shoot was totally different because it required something else of you it required a confidence and a self-assurance Rachel wasn't sure she had and Blaine's comment when she told him about it didn't make her feel any better.

"At least they're not expecting you to do it naked." He teased.

"Funny." Rachel muttered, "I'm pregnant and somehow that is in making me feel any better."

Suddenly Blaine seemed contrite.

"Yeah," he amended, "maybe I shouldn't have said that. Sorry Rachel."

"It's alright Blaine," Rachel finally replied, "but don't let my dad's ever hear you say anything like that… In their minds I'm still their little girl."

The middle of May approached surprisingly quickly, everyone departed for Ohio on Thursday and everyone knew it would be a busy couple of days. Their parents had insisted Rachel and Jesse don't spend the night together mostly because it was tradition and Jesse's mother gave a disapproving frown every time the subject was mentioned.

The rehearsal went off with no major problems and the rehearsal dinner was a relatively small affair with only the immediate family and a few close friends attending. It was only after Rachel and Jesse had accepted their congratulations that everyone said goodbye only a few staying behind to clean up. Finally Rachel and Jesse departed, each to their parents house for the night before meeting again in the morning.

"Good night beautiful." Jesse murmured kissing Rachel on the cheek.

"Good night." Rachel murmured well aware of her parents (and his) watching their every move, it made her feel vaguely uneasy.

"I'll see you in the morning… Until then."

Rachel lay awake long after her dad and his partner had gone to bed. For some reason she couldn't sleep, she didn't know if it was just pre-wedding jitters or something else, but finally after what seemed like an eternity she finally slept; dreaming of the future yet to unfold.

The next morning prior to the wedding passed in a blur for Rachel. She picked at her breakfast before everyone headed for the church to finish some last-minute details. There was the caterer to consider in the flowers and a decoration or two they needed some last-minute tweaking.

Rachel paced in the bridal suite while everyone got ready. She had six bridesmaids, two friends from New York along with Tina, Santana, Brittney and Mercedes. The girls reapplied their lipstick and mascara before the final call to walk down the aisle. Rachel reflected she hadn't even been this nervous on her opening night of Funny Girl (at least that's what it seemed to feel like at the moment).

"You ready Rachel?" Mercedes asked.

Rachel only nodded.

"Look girl," Mercedes continued, "Jesse loves you, he isn't even going to know what hit him the minute he sees you." She smiled warmly at Rachel in the mirror and reached to straighten her veil and train before walking to the doorway where the rest of the bridesmaids were waiting.

Taking another deep breath, Rachel turned from the mirror and went to join them and a few minutes later they were all walking down the hallway from the bridal suite to the doorway of the chapel.

Finally the doors opened the chapel look to stunning, arrayed in decorations of peach and lavender which were mirrored in the dresses, vests, corsages and boutonnieres worn by the bridal party. The music swelled from the piano down front and Rachel found herself smiling, there at the piano was old Mrs. Beasley, who had been the pianist at her church for as long as Rachel could remember; the woman was 76 and still played the hymns every Sunday.

Today however, she was playing a different sort of tune-a bridal march. From where Rachel stood in the doorway, she could just see Jesse standing at the altar next to the pastor, although she couldn't clearly see his face she knew he was smiling. Then Rachel straightened her shoulders, clutched her bouquet and took a step forward.

**This chapter ended up being WAY longer than I anticipated and despite cutting it down it's still pretty lengthy. Hope you enjoy it.**

**6-13-15: sorry if parts of this chapter are a bit condensed I'm doing some editing and adding a few things to patch up some holes in the plot and it's hard to show the passage of time easily and get all the important bits in.  
**


	11. Chapter 10

**AN: I apologize for any confusion in regards to the chapters lately, but as I explained in a few recent notes in regards to this story I'm doing some rewrites. I realized today I forgot to add the last scene in this chapter that takes place between Rachel and Jesse's honeymoon and the birth of the baby.**

**…**

**Chapter 10**

The following week was the most pleasant of Rachel's life. She and Jesse spent their honeymoon in Mexico, where it was sunny and warm; much warmer than New York, even in June. Every day they did something different, although Rachel's activities were curtailed a bit because she was now almost 7 months pregnant, but sometimes she was content just to relax and the lawn chair in her bikini wearing her favorite pair of sunglasses.

The most notable thing about Rachel and Jesse's honeymoon was they weren't that intimate, while they were affectionate with each other and kissed frequently it was awkward to even think about making love. So they mostly lay in bed cuddling, kissing and laughing at the few attempts they made to be intimate.

"Well I wasn't planning on being pregnant when I envisioned this." Rachel said with a laugh.

Jesse kissed her temple.

"We'll just have to revisit it sometime," he said, "when you're not pregnant and Kurt and Blaine are dealing with the late nights and dirty diapers."

"As much as I want to be part of this child's life, I'm glad that's not my responsibility." Rachel replied, "That's not saying I don't ever want it."

"Someday," Jesse murmured, "but not right now."

Meanwhile Kurt and Blaine were in the middle of moving house. They had been moving since the week before Rachel's wedding and were only just now putting the house in some resemblance of order. Their next big project was to get the nursery ready which was no easy task.

"We don't even have the furniture yet!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Isn't that a good thing," Blaine asked, his voice rising slightly, "we can get the nursery painted and decorated before we get all the furniture."

"Blaine, we only have 2 and a half months," Kurt exclaimed, as he began to pace up and down the length of the room, "surely we're the baby the table going to need more help than what the 2 of us can do."

"Why do you think I have Tina, Artie and my friends from NYU on speed dial." He said with a grin before Kurt leaned over and kissed him.

The construction of baby Anderson's nursery went as smoothly as Kurt or Blaine could've hoped. The nursery was painted a calming shade of blue and stenciled with various Disney characters.

"So we decided not to tell Rachel?" Artie asked as he balanced a paint tray across his knees.

"We wanted it to be a surprise," Blaine responded, "she hasn't even seen the house yet."

"We're thinking of putting his name somewhere in the nursery," Blaine explained as he looked around the few empty walls that didn't have stencils on them, so we can keep it even after he moves out of his crib."

"You're still not sat on Blaine Junior, are you?" Artie asked warily.

"Maybe," Blaine answered evasively, "we're actually thinking about the name "Christopher" we were just talking about it."

Artie nodded.

"I like it."

Rachel returned from her honeymoon in good spirits. While Jesse jumped right back into work concentrating on pitching a new idea to put on Broadway to the right people, Rachel took a few days off before her appearance at the Tony Awards.

"Are you even going to take a maternity leave?" Mercedes asked when the girls were Facetiming between one of Mercedes business meetings.

"I will, at some point," Rachel answered, "but I want to get as much as I can done before then. I'll probably work right up until my due date; if I can manage it, I'll be off after that, promise."

This seemed to appease Mercedes.

"I'm thinking on my next day off I'll come out there." Mercedes mused, "have you seen the nursery yet?"

Rachel shook her head.

Kurt and Blaine say they're keeping it a surprise, I haven't even really seen the inside their house yet. They were just moving in before the wedding."

"Well," Mercedes conceded, "maybe I'll just have to come out and see it, I'd much rather be there in person when they do the big reveal."

"Yeah when your day off is let me know," Rachel responded, "if it's around the middle of July look us up, I'm performing at the New York Pride parade."

Mercedes grinned.

"I'll have to check my schedule." Mercedes replied, "I'll have my people call your people." Then the 2 women burst out laughing at the absurdity of the comment.

In the months following their honeymoon Jesse and Rachel got settled. They had moved into a modest brownstone just shy of the theater district, and spent the next few months settling in to life as a married couple. The next thing on Rachel's agenda was the Tony Awards, which took place sometime in June. With her due date fast approaching this didn't leave Rachel with a lot of time, although she made time if it was absolutely necessary and her body along with a few well-meaning friends said "slow down".

"You're working too hard Rachel," Jesse told her at one point, "anything you do in the next couple of months can wait. Please don't worry about it."

"Other than having to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes I'm fine." Rachel reassured him stubbornly, "I'll manage, I promise."

The the night of the Tony's the friends had agreed to meet at Rachel and Jesse's house and to take the cars over together. That evening everyone gathered in Rachel and Jesse's living room and Artie and Tina were just arriving as Jesse helped Rachel down the stairs.

"Heels at 8 months pregnant, "Tina murmured, "impressive."

Rachel shrugged.

"I have to keep up appearances, don't I?" Rachel asked rhetorically, "Besides," she gestured to Kurt and Blaine who were waiting for her, "they got me into this."

Kurt grinned.

"You agreed to it." He quipped.

"Yeah, now you're stuck with us," Blaine interjected with his trademark grin, "and the kid."

"I've been stuck with you guys since high school," Rachel returned without missing a beat as Jesse helped her on with her shawl, "why would I start complaining now."

Their laughter was interrupted by a series of honking car horns.

"The cars are here." Jesse commented.

"I better go speak to the driver about Artie's wheelchair." Tina murmured as she turned to leave the house.

Half an hour later the friends parted ways and Rachel and Jesse walked the red carpet. Tonight, they were hoping for a win from the project Jesse had worked so hard on the year before. At this point in her career Rachel was used to giving interviews, nothing really through her anymore and she was even used to fielding the questions about her "unexpected" pregnancy.

Before the show began Rachel relaxed in her dressing room", at this point in her pregnancy she didn't really feel like "mingling" and let the friends and flowers role in prior to sitting down before the show. As she reapplied her makeup for what felt like the hundredth time Jesse came into the room, Rachel meeting his eyes in the mirror.

"Are you nervous?" He asked.

"A bit." Rachel admitted. "I should be asking you the same thing."

Her husband shrugged.

"No more than you I guess," he replied, "but darling, you're the one getting the award tonight not me."

Rachel was about to reply when the dressing room door burst open again and her friends came in, Artie and Tina bearing flowers and Blaine coming forward to kiss her on the cheek.

"How are you feeling?" He murmured.

"Relax Blaine, I'm fine," Rachel replied, "I'll just be glad when he's out."

She turned around to hug Blaine and Kurt.

"You two are going to be amazing dads." And she knew by their smiles they were eagerly awaiting the birth of their son as much as she was.

"Hey little guy," Blaine murmured placing a hand on Rachel's belly, "your mommy is going to win a Tony… Yes she is."

"We don't know that." Rachel replied in a subdued voice.

"Yeah," Artie cut in, "and if you talk again in that voice Blaine you going to make me punch you in the face."

Blaine smirked.

"Careful, I wouldn't want to get blood on my tux."

The guys good-naturedly teased each other for a few more minutes before they all exited Rachel's dressing room and made their way to their seats in the main auditorium. Rachel was too nervous to watch most of the awards but finally got to the category she and Jesse had been waiting all evening for.

"And the winner, of Best Actress is… Rachel Berry in "Sing"

It seemed everything after that happened in slow motion. Rachel immediately started crying, as she had expected (she was lucky her mascara was waterproof), she hugged Jesse before carefully (pregnant belly and all) making her way up to the stage. At least she didn't do a Jennifer Lawrence and trip in her heels. Then she accepted the Tony and shook hands with the presenter.

At first she didn't even know what to say. The thoughts flew around in her head and it was hard to even pin one down that could be spoken. She had worked towards this dream for such a long time and had put in many years of hard work, not including going back to NYADA, graduating, and getting her first "official" post college role… That had been Jesse's production.

"Oh, wow," was all she thought to say when she could finally form a coherent thought. "I have so many people I wish to thank for this, first of all my wonderful husband, who made a fantastic writer, producer and director, my dads, my friends and lastly my high school glee club teacher Mr. Shue, who told me never to give up on my dreams. Thank you."

She returned to her seat still wiping away tears. The rest of the show passed in a blur and she still couldn't quite believe it when she and Jesse headed to the after party. While most of the people attending the awards drank and partied into the early hours of the morning, Rachel and Jesse turned in early, after such an exciting evening Rachel was eager to take off her heels and get off her feet award winning actress or not she was still pregnant. She was still smiling when she got home and had changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants, the Tony sat on the mantle in the living room and was the last thing Rachel saw before she turned out the lights that night to go to bed.


	12. Chapter 11

**AN**

**Some of you may recognize the first scene in this chapter (as it was originally in chapter 10). I moved it because all the events in this chapter take place in July, right before the baby is born; the events in chapter 10 take place between May and June. Again, sorry for any confusion.**

**…**

**Chapter 11**

Rachel was still running on a high after the Tony's. Every interview she did she was now known as "award-winning actress Rachel Berry" (she had elected to keep her maiden name in regards to her professional career) the phrase always gave her a thrill, and it was everything she had hoped it would be.

Her performance in July came up faster than Rachel had anticipated. She spent half of her week leading up to it locating an outfit with her stylist and on the morning of the event she made a quick stop at Kurt and Blaine's before heading to set up for her performance.

When she arrived, Mercedes was already there.

After greeting her friends Rachel turned to Mercedes.

"Oh!" Rachel exclaimed, "I seriously forgot you were coming!"

"Girl, you know I would make time." Mercedes replied, "you know I wouldn't miss this." She said seriously.

"Have you seen it yet?" Rachel asked.

"No," Blaine answered for her putting his arm around Kurt, "we were waiting for you."

Rachel and Mercedes were led down the hallway, past the bathroom and the master bedroom. The second door on the left was closed and with a conspiratorial smile Blaine placed his hand on the doorknob.

"You ready?" He asked.

The girls nodded.

Blaine opened the door.

Rachel gasped. The room was painted blue and covered with Disney characters, everything they had been given at the baby shower was carefully put away including a closet full of clothes. A changing table was along one wall as well as a small dresser.

"It's not quite done yet." Blaine said looking around, "We're still going to put his name somewhere in the room and we have to get the crib of course."

"Did you figure out which one you were getting?" Mercedes asked.

Kurt nodded.

"We found a good one online, it should be here by the time the baby is and we're getting bedding to match, we should be ordering it in the next few weeks; with Rachel being due pretty soon."

"And the name?" Mercedes smirked.

"You'll find out when everybody else does." Blaine replied airily, but he was smiling.

"Did you hear from Unique?" Mercedes asked changing the subject.

"No she hasn't called." Kurt replied with a frown.

"Well I did," Mercedes replied, "she said she is coming up for the parade. You are coming right?"

"Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world." Blaine replied.

Just then a car honked from outside. Rachel looked out the window.

"Sorry guys, got a run, the car's here. I told the driver to pick me up here, I'll see you later, okay?"

The three friends watched as Rachel darted out of the room and a few minutes later she was sliding into the back of a Lincoln town car which pulled away from the curb as quickly as it had appeared.

"I guess that's our cue to leave too." Blaine commented, "It's going to take 20 minutes to get uptown with the traffic." They all left the house (after Blaine had quietly closed the nursery door) and walked the few blocks looking for a cab.

The streets that were blocked off for the parade were bustling with activity. There were hundreds of people and it took them a while to find Unique Adams who was wearing a sleeveless blouse and a black pencil skirt. In this crowd she didn't stick out as much.

"How did you ever get away?" Kurt asked after the friends had exchanged greetings.

"My parents are coming around." Unique replied, "They still don't understand it, like it's something I can turn off) but I think they realize this was important to me. After all, as soon as I turned 18 they agreed to let me have the first surgery."

"Does anybody know where Rachel's performing?" Blaine asked looking around.

"Stage 3 at 11:30." Mercedes replied, "She told me in an email a few weeks ago, guess she forgot to mention it… You know baby brain."

It was 10:45 by the time Rachel finished her sound check. For her performance she had chosen "Perfect" by Pink, she felt it fit her audience and it was also one of Kurt and Blaine's favorite songs, she remembered them singing it to each other in Glee Club. Ideally, this gig wouldn't have been her first choice but musical theater gigs were rare for people 8 or 9 months pregnant. It was after much consternation she conceded there was nothing she could do about the fact that no one was hiring her and she would just have to wait until after the baby was born, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

As the performance began Rachel looked out over the crowd. In the front row against the barrier were Jesse, Kurt, Blaine, Mercedes and Unique, they were all cheering and clapping along to the music. Rachel smiled, she was glad to see her friends, and significant other, enjoying themselves. She was feeling better than she had in a long time and her good mood she had been feeling since she had returned from her honeymoon hadn't faded. As she began to sing she thought of Mr. Shue and knew he would be proud of her. (The Tony she had one last month notwithstanding)

It was the week after the Pride parade when Rachel went in for her last appointment before the baby was born. At this point, she was used to being poked and prodded, but being this pregnant (and tired of being so) she just found it intrusive. She liked the doctor, she really did, but today he seemed to be poking her insides extra today as he continued to mutter to himself.

"You're still closed, but you've softened quite a bit." He told her, "The baby has dropped down and I would say he could be here any time, possibly within the next week."

Rachel bit her lip. Was everything really happening that soon? It only seems like yesterday she had told Kurt and Blaine she was expecting.

When the doctor finally removed his gloves he helped Rachel sit up on the exam table.

"Hopefully the next time I see you will be in the hospital." He said with a smile, "and misters Anderson as well."

Rachel nodded.

"I'll make sure my husband knows," Rachel replied, she laughed quietly, "this hasn't been easy on either of us, and it's not even ours."

"I imagine not." The doctor replied sympathetically his brown eyes warming. "Best of luck to you Mrs. St. James, and to your friends."

Rachel nodded and smiled again before carefully sliding from the table (which was easier said than done) grabbing her bag and made her exit. She still had two meetings she had to go to before returning home. After many months her schedule was finally filling up again, and even though it would be months before she could return to a normal schedule Rachel was looking forward to it. She had finally booked a few walk-on roles on a few shows later in the year. While most of her background was in musical theater, she was slowly branching out into other forms of acting. She was also looking at a role in a revival of Wicked, which was set to start rehearsals early next year.

It was a few days later before anything regarding her pregnancy raised alarm. Rachel had already been dealing with late pregnancy symptoms for a while, which were more of an aggravation than an inconvenience and she didn't really think much of it until one night a few days later. She had gotten up to go to the bathroom and was just walking back to bed when a staggering pain gripped her, unlike any she had ever felt before.

She was so startled she almost knocked over the lamp on the nightstand and in the process woke up Jesse.

"Rachel? Is everything all right? It's not the baby, is it?"

It took Rachel a few minutes to catch her breath.

"No…" She replied, rubbing her stomach as she spoke, "I don't think so… Give me a minute." She sat back down on the bed and waited a few minutes, wondering if the pain would return.

"If you're still having contractions," Jesse advised, "we can call the doctor and go to the hospital if we need to.."

Rachel glanced at the bedside clock, it read 3:45.

There were a few more twinges over the next few minutes, then nothing as severe as it had been initially. Rachel made a note to ask her doctor about it, or she could look it up in one of those big pregnancy books she had gotten. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Rachel finally lay back down in an attempt to go back to sleep, and finally, after spending some time trying to find a comfortable position, she finally, did.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Rachel was awaken no more than a week later with a pain she knew must be labor. The first time it happened, she thought it was a Braxton Hicks contraction as it had been over the past few weeks, the when it happened again 20 minutes later this time she woke Jesse up.

"Jesse, Jesse," she shook her husband awake, "I-I-think it's time."

"Time?" Jesse mumbled, still sounding half asleep, "Time for what?" He scrubbed at his face in effort to wake up if only slightly.

"Jesse…" Rachel tried again, "I think the baby's coming."

It was almost another 30 or 40 minutes before Rachel realized this was indeed the real thing, the time between her contractions was getting shorter and shorter, going from 20 minutes to ten. She waited through the contractions the best she could, using Jesse as support.

"We better call the doctor, and Kurt and Blaine." Jesse said.

Rachel only managed to nod, but at least her contractions were giving her enough time to get dressed and find her hospital bag which was in the foyer by the door.

By quarter after 5 Rachel's contractions were 5 minutes apart and she and Jesse were ready to head for the hospital, the doctor and Kurt and Blaine would meet them there.

Jesse was just getting off the phone with Kurt and Blaine when he handed Rachel her shoes and after putting on her shoes and a light jacket they headed out the door.

Blaine was woken out of a sound sleep by the ringing of his cell phone.

"Hello?" He mumbled groggily.

"Blaine!" A sharp voice was immediately in his ear, "It's Jesse, Rachel's in labor we're headed to the hospital soon; just thought you would want to know."

"Alright," Blaine muttered, "see you in a bit." He disconnected the call, then reached to shake his husband awake.

The hospital was in stark contrast to the semi-darkness of early morning. It was bustling, bright and busy as Rachel and Jesse were pointed in the direction of the labor and delivery floor at Mount Sinai Hospital. Jesse, his arm still around Rachel, they made their way up the elevator.

After filling out some paperwork Rachel was directed to a room, where she changed and waited for her doctor. Once she was in bed and hooked up to the appropriate monitors there was a knock on the open door, she looked up, it was Kurt and Blaine.

"Hey mama," Blaine said with a grin, "I'll just have you know I'm going to become a dad today."

Rachel gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, you have the easy part."

It was another 10 minutes before her doctor appeared, and after shooing Kurt and Blaine from the room he checked her.

"You're 2 cms Rachel. It's still pretty early yet so all we have to do is wait."

That's all Rachel seem to be doing, but by 8 AM she was almost 4 cm, and while she had softened significantly, she still wasn't as dilated as the doctor would have liked.

"Hopefully you'll be ready to push by this afternoon." The doctor grinned at both of them, "fingers crossed."

The labor was still slow by lunchtime. Following lunch, a nurse came in and broke Rachel's water promising it should speed things along. The nurse was still frowning by the time she broke Rachel's water, muttering something about "meconium" and "fetal distress" Rachel was hoping for some good news, but the nurse was still studying the monitors behind her with a frown.

"We're getting a few more decelerations than I like to see." She made a face and pursed her lips. Still muttering to herself she left the room.

The decision was made to give Rachel another hour before the decision was made to do a C-section or not , by then, the doctors hoped that the baby's heart rate would pick up. Rachel had been given an epidural in preparation for a possible C-section and Jesse made his way to the waiting room to give Kurt and Blaine an update.

However, in an hour there had been little change, while Rachel was dilating very slowly and the baby didn't seem to be tolerating the labor well. While Rachel was prepped for a C- section, the discussion turned to who would accompany Rachel in the operating room.

At first, Blaine and Kurt argued, but decided Jesse, as Rachel's husband, and Blaine, as the baby's biological father should go; Blaine promising he would let Kurt see the baby as soon as he could.

With Jesse and Blaine donning hospitals scrubs, including hats and booties, Rachel was wheeled into the OR and while the doctor explained the procedure to her, she couldn't help but think of Jesse and Blaine who were standing outside the door.

Finally Jesse and Blaine were let inside, Jesse on her right side and Blaine on her left, each anticipating the blessed event. The doctor talked as he worked, explaining each step as he went and inquiring every few minutes if she could feel anything, which Rachel assured him she couldn't.

After many tense, silent minutes the doctor spoke again.

"Almost there, lots of pressure now."

A few minutes later Rachel heard a noise; a gurgling noise and then a loud, boisterous cry.

"Congratulations everybody," the doctor sounded pleased, "it's a boy."

As he exited the OR followed by a nurse who was pushing his new son in an incubator, Blaine couldn't stop grinning and before heading to the nursery he stopped in the nearby waiting room where Kurt was waiting.

"Rachel's doing fine," he said, "there's still stitching her up, but they'll be moving her pretty soon."

"So when do you want to reveal the name?" Kurt asked.

"Probably when everybody comes to see us, depending on how Rachel's feeling." Blaine replied.

They looked down at their son, whose eyes were still closed in the bright light. He had a chubby face and dark hair; at the moment looking very much like Blaine.

Blaine was still chuckling when he left the nursery. His son was a whopping 9 lbs. 7 oz.-clearly he had gotten a little bit of Blaine's height, no wonder Rachel had trouble.

Sometime later, everyone was gathered in Rachel's room in the postpartum unit awaiting the answer that everybody had wandered for the past 9 months.

"Hey guys, quit keeping us in suspense," Artie said, "what's the kid's name?"

"Everyone, meet Christopher Kurt Anderson." Blaine announced.

"That's a great name guys." Tina said with a smile.

"So have you told your parents yet?" Artie asked, while most of Kurt, Blaine, Jesse and Rachel's coworkers fussed over the baby.

"We sent pictures and emails ahead." Kurt explained, "but we haven't called anybody yet. We weren't sure when Rachel was going to go into labor exactly so there was no point in putting our families on notice to fly out here."

"Yeah I have to call my dads," Rachel mumbled, "as soon as I'm not so tired." By this time Christopher had been returned to his incubator and was sleeping soundly, Rachel figured she would send him back with the nurse as soon as everyone left and maybe, after a nap, she would call her dads.

For the next 2 weeks pictures of little Christopher were passed around to every family member and friend. Even Jesse's parents had come up to see Rachel, congratulated Blaine and Kurt, and took turns visiting along with Rachel's parents, who had flown up from Ohio. While Kurt and Blaine adjusted to being parents, they were still working out who would take care of the baby when they were both working (they were considering hiring a nanny or babysitter when they both went back to work) and were relieved when Kurt's parents came up to visit for a week, at least they had a bit of a reprieve to get their lives in order.

**8 months later-February 2021**

"Do you think she's ready for this?" Blaine asked, as he bounced and almost 8-month-old Christopher on his lap, the little boy babbled happily as he reached for Kurt's playbill.

Kurt resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Blaine, this is Rachel we're talking about, she was born ready. You know how she's been itching to get back on the stage since she got pregnant."

They were all sitting at opening night of Rachel's run in _Wicked_. She had been cast as Elphaba in December and had been rehearsing since sometime in January.

Kurt gestured to Christopher.

"Do you want me to change him before the curtain goes up?" He asked.

Blaine grinned and handed over the squirming little boy.

"Maybe that would be best, but for heaven sakes don't get your tux dirty!"

"I'll do my best," Kurt grinned, "there are extra towels in the diaper bag aren't there?"

Blaine gave a thumbs-up.

"You bet!" He watched as his partner and son disappeared into the milling crowd in the direction of the theater bathrooms.

The opening night was as enjoyable as everyone had anticipated. Friends and family were there to support Rachel including little Christopher, who babbled every time he saw Rachel, but the kid had been hearing her sing since before he was born and he definitely liked the sound of her voice. Rachel was in the middle of Elphaba's big number "Defying Gravity" which she had sung with Kurt their first year in glee club and as she began singing the chorus Christopher began bouncing on Blaine's lap once again, his chubby hands waving.

"Ba ba ba!" He babbled.

Blaine chuckled.

"Let mommy finish her song, okay buddy?"

"Ba-mama!" Christopher cried.

By the end of the play Christopher was asleep and Kurt and Blaine intended on a changing of the guard before returning to the after party for a few hours. They already had Courtney St. James on standby when they got home.

Rachel was beaming when she got out of her dressing room.

"That was amazing!" She gushed, but quickly modulated her tone when she saw a sleeping Christopher in Blaine's arms.

"Little guy's passed out." Blaine commented, with an amused chuckle.

Rachel smiled fondly at the little boy.

"I hope he's as lucky as we were, it's really thanks to Mr. Shue we are living our dreams. I hope he can be that lucky."

Blaine and Kurt smiled at each other, they certainly hoped so, hoping whatever teachers Christopher had in the future would be half as good as Mr. Shue had been to them.

...

**So ends this particular story. I found this story was enjoyable to write and was a nice change of pace from what I normally do. With this over please be on the lookout for my Harry Potter fanfics Journey to Hogwarts and The Transfer.**


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